lovesouthernsocial.com

Material can cause various problems to human health and the environment

Asbestos is a material potentially harmful to health (read more below), according to some organizations that defend those affected by mineral fiber. The industry, in turn, says that the type currently manufactured (chrysotile asbestos) is not dangerous to consumers or those working with it. Anyway, there are still no developed ways for its reuse or recycling. Decontamination is very difficult to be done due to the high cost and is only carried out in some cases, usually in industries.

Materials made with asbestos have a very long shelf life, but the industry itself does not know how to tell the consumer how to properly dispose of asbestos.

Resolution 384 of the National Environmental Council (Conama), from 2004, determines that products that have asbestos as a raw material cannot be discarded anywhere. The recommendation is that asbestos be disposed of together with hazardous waste in specialized landfills. Consulting the regional administration or the city hall of your city should be the first way to carry out the conscientious disposal of the material.

If this is not possible, look for companies that deal with hazardous materials, offering solutions in the management, collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste of this nature, such as TWM Ambiental, which operates in São Paulo.

eCycle Tip

Think carefully before opting for tiles and water tanks that use asbestos. Although an asbestos tile has a durability of approximately 70 years, this time is minimal if we think about the long term. Consider whether the environment, which includes us, needs to incur the potential risks that the consequences of using this material may entail. Unfortunately, the available alternatives are still directly associated with raw materials that are also harmful to the environment, such as oil, but whose impact indicates less risk, as they can be recycled and cause less damage to health.

Attention, when removing the tile or water tank, it is necessary to be very careful and avoid breaking the material and possible contamination by asbestos fibers.

health hazard

Asbestos is a very controversial and potentially dangerous material!

For a long time, asbestos was used without restrictions because it has undeniably interesting characteristics for construction, such as resistance to high temperatures, good insulating quality, flexibility, durability, incombustibility, resistance to acid attack, in addition to its low cost. Over time, the dangerousness of the mineral was proven, having been recognized as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO). When inhaled or ingested, asbestos dust fibers stimulate cell mutations within the body that can lead to tumors and certain types of lung cancer. The raw material has already been banned in over 50 countries. In Brazil, its use is still allowed. On the industry side, the Brazilian Chrysotile Institute (IBC) states that the type of asbestos known as chrysotile is amalgamated with cement to form fiber cement, a material that does not allow the detachment of asbestos fibers. According to the institute, the use of asbestos has been done responsibly for over thirty years, both for consumers and workers in the field. It's up to you, the user, to decide what to do!